It may by one operation give us fabrics instead of
threads. A machine has been invented for manufacturing net and lace, the
liquid material being poured on one side of a roller and the fabric
being reeled off on the other side. The process seems capable of
indefinite extension and application to various sorts of woven, knit and
reticulated goods. The raw material is cotton waste and the finished
fabric is a good substitute for silk. As in the process of making
artificial silk the cellulose is dissolved in a cupro-ammoniacal
solution, but instead of being forced out through minute openings to
form threads, as in that process, the paste is allowed to flow upon a
revolving cylinder which is engraved with the pattern of the desired
textile. A scraper removes the excess and the turning of the cylinder
brings the paste in the engraved lines down into a bath which solidifies
it.
Tulle or net is now what is chiefly being turned out, but the engraved
design may be as elaborate and artistic as desired, and various
materials can be used.
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